Hard Work quotes
3.1K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Explore further
Browse quotes that often appear alongside hard work — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
Quote collection
Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.
"We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad."
"I never took a day off in my twenties. Not one."
"If you don't have time, the truth is, you don't have priorities. Think harder; don't work harder."
"You don't achieve success by "taking it easy" or "working on it later." You achieve it thru persistence and hard work."
"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true - hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it."
"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking."
"You may catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but you'll get them to work harder if you use a flyswatter."
"Some people work hard to be something that they're not, and I don't work at all, I'm just me. And that can bother anybody I'm not working nearly as hard as the other guys, and they don't like it."
"A celebrity is a person who works hard all of their life to become well known, and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized."
"The richest soil, if uncultivated, produces the rankest weeds."
"I don't have the physical talent those guys have. My hard work has made me very good."
"All men are created equal. Some work harder in preseason."
"The value of achievement lies in the achieving."
"You don't have to be someone special to achieve something amazing. You've just got to have a dream, believe in it and work hard."
"Riches, when they come in huge quantities, are never the result of HARD work!"
"I never tried to be a mercenary or a killer but a hard working fighter."
"Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It's the best part of the day."
"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen."
"I like Cinderella, I really do. She has a good work ethic. I appreciate a good, hard-working gal. And she likes shoes. The fairy tale is all about the shoe at the end, and I'm a big shoe girl."
"A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn't work hard for validation."
